Virginia is on a bye this week, but there is still news concerning last week’s game.

The Pac-10 has acknowledged the officials in last Saturday’s Virginia/USC game made a mistake on a key play and have suspended those officials from a future assignment.

The specific language says the officials were suspended for “failure to apply the playing rules correctly.”

The play in question occurred in the second quarter of last Saturday’s close game. Virginia lined up to punt and they faked. Punter Jimmy Howell threw a pass to tight end Colter Philips and Philips rumbled 36 yards to the USC 24-yard line. The refs called a penalty on guard Isaac Cain for an illegal block below the waist.

Cain did make a block below the waist, which is illegal in kicking situations, but only if the kick is made. Because they faked the punt Cain’s block was legal and the result of the play should have stood.

Really this is just too little too late from the Pac-10. The game was close throughout and Virginia had been outplaying the Trojans when that penalty was called. The Cavs had been killing themselves with stupid penalties and dumb mistakes though. They couldn’t get any traction. That play, converting a fourth down on a fake punt, could have really changed the dynamic and momentum of the game. I’m not going to say they would have won the game because of that play, I’m not that jaded, but you don’t know what they could have done if that play had stood. It might have given the boys from Charlottesville a spark.

It’s good that the reprimand from the Pac-1o commish has come down, but I don’t think the coaches at Virginia care. The outcome of the game can’t be changed and Mike London has yet to comment.